The Institute’s new report highlights reforms needed to bring greater transparency and accountability to California’s political system.

The Secretary of State’s Cal-Access database, which provides public access to information about campaign finance and lobbying, should be upgraded to automatically link and aggregate all contributions by major donors.

Secretary Alex Padilla has taken significant steps in recent months to enhance Cal-Access. However, we all agree that further work is needed to provide the public with easy and meaningful access to information about our democracy. The legislature should provide Secretary Padilla with the direction and resources necessary to bring Cal-Access into the 21st century. We support legislative action to modernize California’s campaign finance disclosure law and technology.

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Common Cause is a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.